They Stood In Lines
by Alieyxa
Summary: He could have stopped the kunai, but he didn’t. Why? Why didn’t he? Sasuke didn’t know. Oneshot. SasuNaru. Character Death. [title subject to change]


They Stood in Lines

_**Summary**: He could have stopped the kunai, but he didn't. Why? Why didn't he? Sasuke didn't know. Oneshot. SasuNaru. Character Death._

_**Disclaimer**: I don't own it. Kishimoto-sama does. -bows to Kishimoto-sama-_

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They all stood in lines. Row upon row, like the flowers in an old song. They were there to mourn the loss of a friend, a leader...a lover. In the very front row, those who knew him best stood in solemn remembrance. Kakashi, Jiraiya, Tsunade, Iruka, Sakura, Hinata, Kiba, Shino, Neji, Lee, Tenten, Ino, Chouji, Shikamaru...the list went on and on. His body had been brought back a few days before.

One by one, each person stepped forward and placed a simple white rose beside the closed casket. There were flowers within it, also, that were placed there by the medics who helped safely dress and place the flowers surrounded the body of the boy, dressed all in respectful black, and greatly contrasting as black and white clashed: and old cliché that had once again reared its head in this young boy's life, but that depended on who you asked.

On the other side of the village of Konohagakure, the only shinobi missing was standing atop the Hokage Tower. He was watching the memorial service from afar. Hiding within the folds of white robes, his chest rose and fell quickly. Quiet, private sobs shook his body, but his stubborn legs remained firm on the flat roof, refusing to falter in their steady stance.

"_I'm naming you my successor, Sasuke."_

_The three young shinobi in the room stood, frozen. Leaning again the wall behind the Hokage's chair, Jiraiya sighed, but was surprised by the reaction the Uchiha gave._

"_I'm sorry, Hokage-sama, but I have to decline," said Sasuke, barely having enough courage to look the blonde woman in the eye. "I really don't think--"_

"_I don't care."_

_All eyes drifted to Naruto. The blonde boy was shaking visibly, his hands clenched tightly at his sides, enough to draw blood from where his nails dug into the skin. He had spoke quietly, so quietly that it unnerved everyone in the room._

"_Naruto…" Sakura said softly, carefully. Naruto could hear the pity in her voice._

"_I said I DON'T CARE!" yelled Naruto._

_Sakura reached out to touch his arm, to comfort him, but he pulled away from her and left the office at a run._

"_Naruto!" she called after him, and was about to follow when she noticed Sasuke had already gone after the blonde. "Sasuke!"_

"Naruto…" the white-robed figure whispered, his fists shaking visibly, a habit he had picked up from being around the blue-eyed blonde so often.

_Sasuke had finally caught up to him. "Naruto, would you stop running!"_

_Naruto stopped, and Sasuke almost ran into him from the momentum. They stood only a few feet apart, so Sasuke could see the tears forming in Naruto's eyes._

"_Naruto, I didn't ask for this, you know that. I promised you that you would become Hokage one day, didn't I? I promised I'd do that to make up for everything, didn't I?" he said, moving closer to the shorter boy._

_Naruto nodded, leaning into the heat. Sasuke pressed his lips to the shorter boy's. "I love you. You know that, right?"_

_Naruto didn't answer._

That should have been the first clue, but Sasuke brushed it off as Naruto simply being his stubborn self.

"_Tsunade-hime, are you sure you should be sending them out on a mission together?"_

"_Are you going to question every decision I make now, Jiraiya?"_

_Sasuke was listening from outside the door. The two Sannin had been talking for a few minutes now about whether or not to send their two best ANBU out on a mission._

"_Only if you keep making bad decisions," Jiraiya replied._

_Sasuke heard a crash from the room. Maybe he should get out of there: Tsunade obviously wasn't in a good enough mood for him to ask her to offer Naruto the position of Hokage instead._

"_Uchiha!"_

_Sasuke cringed at the sound of his name, but stepped into the office anyway. "Yes, Tsunade-sama?" he spoke carefully, eyeing the twitching heap on he floor that was Jiraiya._

"_I'm sending you and Naruto on a scouting mission. Some of the remaining Akatsuki members have been spotted in the desert near Suna. You are to go to Suna, which will act as your base while you scout the surrounding area. The Kazekage has already agreed to you staying there, and has prepared a house for you there. When you return, I'm hoping that you will have realized that I am giving _you_ the position of Hokage, and not your lover."_

"_Hokage-sama, Naruto--"_

"_NOT MY PROBLEM!" screeched the irritated Tsunade, throwing a scroll at him. _Note to self,_ thought Sasuke as he ducked, his ears ringing,_ don't piss her off after she's had a talk with Jiraiya. _"Now get OUT of my office so I can drink!"_

_Sasuke hurried out of the office, picking up the mission scroll on his way out. He read it as he walked back to his and Naruto's house, and realized that this was going to be a long, dangerous mission. Not that they couldn't handle it, of course. He had become ANBU Captain a few years back, and Naruto was quickly climbing up the ranks._

The mission was supposed to last a few months, then they would return and convince Tsunade to let Naruto succeed her. Only, things didn't go as planned.

_Sasuke glanced worriedly at the blonde as they hopped from tree to tree. Naruto had been quiet ever since he had told him Tsunade wasn't going to change her mind, the night before. He was about to open his mouth to speak when he sensed someone was following him. He glance behind him to see a kunai flying at Naruto._

"_Naruto!"_

_Naruto jumped up onto a higher branch, only for another kunai to come at him, that Sasuke didn't see until it was too late. The kunai pierced Naruto's chest; the blonde had watched it come at him without lifting a finger. He had merely closed his eyes.._

"_Naruto!"_

_Sasuke knew that Naruto could have stopped the kunai. he just wished he knew why Naruto didn't._

"You wanted this…" Sasuke muttered bitterly, coming to the realization all of a sudden, and he felt ashamed for not realizing it earlier. "You…you never got the respect you deserved…and Tsunade…she could have made sure you got that respect, but she didn't. That was just it, wasn't it, Naruto…god…you BAKA!" he yelled, tilting his head upwards

But even as he spoke, tears rolled down his face.

"Naruto…" whispered Sasuke, as he looked up towards the sky. It was as blue as Naruto's eyes, and Sasuke's breath caught in his throat as he thought how he would never see those eyes again.

"I love you, dobe," he whispered to the sky, his last gift to the blonde. "And don't you dare ever forget it."

A wind rustled his robes and caught his Kage's hat in the gust. The hat danced about in the breeze, taking some leaves with it. Sasuke could have sworn he heard a familiar voice on the wind…

"_Love you too, Sasuke-teme."_

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A/N: I don't really like how this turned out, but it was taunting me everytime I turned on the computer, so I figured I'd post it. Still, please take the time to review. After all, reviews mean love!

Ja ne!

Arien


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